


Ship in a Bottle

by whensheflies



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post On Stranger Tides, bringing sparrabeth back, trying to make the most out of canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-06-01
Updated: 2011-09-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3828379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whensheflies/pseuds/whensheflies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Sparrow now has a fleet of ships. The only problem? They're all miniature-like and in bottles.  One bottle in particular will bring Jack back into dealings with one Pirate King. Post-OST.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted in 2011 on lj.

 

 

**Ship in a Bottle**

  


_Prologue_

 

 

Seagulls nesting.

If he turned his back, Theodore Groves could almost believe it to be true. But when he closed his eyes, he could not erase the scene of abject carnage happening just off shore. Only a former pirate would abandon his ship and crew to murderous mermaids without a second glance. Groves had no other name for his feelings towards Barbossa than disgust. A better captain, he thought, would do everything in his power to save his crew or go down honorably with them. James Norrington would have gone back. Groves pulled in a shaky breath and tried to calm his nerves. Thinking about James at a time like this was pointless. It only made the sound of the dying men more profoundly terrible. For all his mutinous thoughts, Groves was no deserter. He had no choice but to agree.

"Seagulls nesting," he said, voice dripping with disdain for his ruthless captain, "Nothing more."

Barbossa was already limping onward before the sounds of dying British Navy men were silenced, while Groves and the other two survivors stood vigil. Andrew Gillette stepped closer, placing a hand softly to Groves' shoulder.

"There was nothing you could do, Teddy. Nothing any of us could've done." Gillette whispered.

Groves shrugged off his friend's touch, unable to take his eyes off the roiling spot of sea where their ship was once afloat. "That doesn't make it any better. Innocent men left behind to die. What kind of captain does such a thing?"

It was then that the third member of their party spoke up. "The kind of captain that knows when to say when. Barbossa may be a right bastard, but he'd not waste his life or ours on a fool's errand. Those men died so that you might live to see the end of this journey. So, let's not rot on this beach like the rest of them and push on." said Joshamee Gibbs as he turned from the beach and headed after Barbossa.

Gillette offered Groves a small smile, nodding in agreement. "Master Gibbs is right. Let us be on our way, Teddy. There is nothing left for us here."

"I will not leave until it comes." Groves said, firmly planting his feet in the sand.

Faced between his friend and the possibility of being left behind, Gillette was quick to respond. "Until what comes?"

"The _Dutchman_. At least then I'll know that our men's souls will be on their journey towards peace." replied Groves.

"Master Gibbs, just a moment please!" Gillette called after the man before turning back to Groves, "Those poor souls are with God already, Teddy. Must your superstitions be the cause of our desertion? All for the sight of a bloody ghost ship? Our captain has left without out us. We must go."

"The _Dutchman_ will come, Andrew."

Desperate to pull his friend away from the scene, Gillette nodded his head vigorously. "Yes it will, but perhaps not right away. The seas are vast and ours could not have been the only men lost this night."

"There were too many. The captain of the _Dutchman_ would have sensed such a massacre and come straightaway." Groves persisted.

Gilette sighed, knowing that Groves was right. The _Flying Dutchman_ and its new captain should have come by now. He looked inland and was still able to see Gibbs trudging through the growth, though Barbossa was long out of sight. They would have some time yet before Gibbs was also beyond their line of vision. "Very well. We'll stay a bit longer, but we must go soon. Even if the _Dutchman_ doesn't come."

Groves nodded and returned his eyes to the sea, while Gillette kept his eyes on Gibbs in the distance. A cool wind came off the sea, chilling the two Navy men to the bone. The ocean was now silent, almost eerily so, without so much as a stirring of waves. The longer they waited, the more Groves' grew distraught. Why wasn't the ship here by now?

Unbeknownst to Gillette and Groves, they were patiently waiting for a ship that would never come. They waited for a ship that _could_ not come.

~ * ~  
_tbc_  



	2. Ship in a Bottle, Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Sparrow now has a fleet of ships. The only problem? They're all in bottles. One bottle in particular will bring Jack back into dealings with one Pirate King. Post-OST.

 

Chapter 1

_With a flash of green, Elizabeth Turner née Swann was alone. As she watched the empty horizon reality came crashing down upon her with the force of an angry tide. She could still feel the warmth of her husband's mouth on her inner thigh where he'd kissed her only moments earlier, his words echoing in her head like a mantra. Keep a weather eye on the horizon._  
  
Why should she, though? He was gone to her for a decade. And then what? A single day spent ashore with her beloved. She loved Will, always had, but one day traded for ten years without was a steep price. She would have gladly been his wife, would have born him children, would have lived simply with him. She would have given up her wilder pursuits for a quiet, loving life with him. But now he was gone, living a life on the sea without her. It didn't seem fair after all they'd accomplished together. If the tables were turned would she expect him to wait for her for ten years and only then a respite of one single day? She knew she wouldn't. She'd want him to lead his life freely. She hoped Will felt the same. The ache building between her legs reminded her mercilessly. Ten years was a very long time.

Her thoughts wandered as she watched the waves crash along the shore and yet she found she couldn't bear to move. Memories of Will's lips on hers reminded her of a kiss she had shared with another. Will's kiss had been full of love and adoration, but there was a hunger in it too. Perhaps he had been thinking of the ten years ahead of them as well. But now, that hunger reminded her of something else. A kiss that had betrayed, not only the man she shackled to The Black Pearl, but also herself. That single kiss with Jack Sparrow had set her afire with a passion she wasn't sure she was capable of. She had burned with a fierce longing and that damned curiosity, had wanted to stay and explore what Jack had to offer. But she had left him there to die, the word 'pirate' on his lips. A blessing and a curse. The moment had haunted her even as she commanded Barbossa to marry her to Will Turner amidst a battle and a maelstrom, even as Will took her maidenhead on the abandoned beach. It haunted her now, even with Will's promise to return in a decade still echoing in her ears.

She was alone. For the first time, she let herself grieve. She had lost so many. Her father and James. Even Will and Jack were as good as gone. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. In the heat of escape and battle, she hadn't allowed herself the weakness of crying. She hadn't allowed herself to feel. She had had to appear strong and fearless to garner the respect of pirates if she were to remain their King. But here, alone on the beach she felt almost widowed. Bereft of all the people she deeply cared for. She let the sobs escape her lungs, telling herself it was alright to feel the hurt. Just thinking it was the beginning of the healing process. She fruitlessly tried to wipe away her tears, but ended up reaching for the chest beside her instead. Clutching it to her chest, she felt the beating of Will's heart. It made no sense. Was he dead? Undead? Did that mean she actually was widowed? She held his heart in her hands, literally and figuratively. The sound of it was unearthly and suddenly gave Elizabeth chills. She couldn't bear to have it near her, with each useless thump reminding her of the long stretch of time before she could see him again. It was terrible. Why had she promised to keep it safe for him? It would be too hard. It would hurt too much.

"There you are. Leave it to pirates to forget about their own bloody King!"

The voice made Elizabeth start for she was so used to just the sound of the ocean and Will's beating heart. She looked up to see Teague standing over her. In the dusky light he reminded her so much of Jack, she wanted to throw herself at his feet and ask him to relieve her of the burden she put on herself. Take Will's heart and take hers as well to do what he will with them. Instead, she wiped her tears with the hem of her dress and stood on shaky legs.

"I fell behind. All they did was keep to the code." she said.

"Still not right that they leave a woman to hold a ten year vigil all by her lonesome." Teague grumbled with a tip of his hat.

Elizabeth frowned. "Am I really to remain here for a decade?"

"Of course not. Nothing says you must stay for a decade, only that you return when the day comes."

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from Elizabeth's shoulders. She had known it all along, but to hear another person speak the words made her freedom all the more real. "But the heart. I'm to protect it."

Teague's gaze was direct and piercing. "My advice, Miss Swann? Bury it. Somewhere secure so it won't be lost. And then forget about it until the time comes. Otherwise it'll only drive you mad for what you can't have."

"I--"

"Bury it, sweetheart. I'll help if you'd like. Then come home. Be our King."

It was fear and guilt that held her back, but in order to move forward she had to let go. Her heart ached for the loss of everything she meant to leave behind, but she wanted to embrace the woman she was becoming. King of the Brethren Court. King of Pirates. She lifted her chin and held out her hand to Teague, "I believe we have an accord."

Teague's grin flashed golden, reminiscent of his son.

* * * * 

Tortuga was Gibbs' idea.

"Think on it, Jack. Rum and the warmth of a woman's flesh to set us to rights. Then we'll see to the Pearl." he had said.

Jack was more inclined to smash his ship's glassy confines against a rock and figure it out from there. He was impatient and he was bloody Captain Jack Sparrow. He wasn't to be so easily foiled by Blackbeard's voodoo and yet here he was, captain of a miniature ship. It was downright cruel and unusual. He didn't need the pleasure of Tortuga's finest, he needed the _Pearl_. Rum, though, he could use some of Tortuga's finest rum. In the end, Jack conceded to Gibbs' plan and found himself back in Caribbean waters and before long, the heady stench of Tortuga beckoned him home.

*

A bottle was being passed around the table in a dimly lit backroom in The Faithful Bride. The room itself was hushed, but muffled music and raucous laughter could be heard from the tavern beyond. Four pairs of eyes watched as the bottle was passed from hand to hand. Each person inspected its contents in disbelief.

"Aye, it's downright foul luck." Gibbs said, passing the bottle along before taking a long sip of rum.

"Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, it isn't bloody funny." Scarlett said, tilting the bottle from side to side. Inside, the _Black Pearl_ bobbed in the waves without a heading and without her captain.

"Not a joke, Scar darling, a trick. He wants us to think that's his boat in there, but really he just doesn't want to give us a ride. Isn't that right, Jack?" Giselle said, turning her powdered face towards Jack. She was ice to Scarlett's fire. The two wenches balanced each other out and were usually welcome company. Jack, though, was not in the mood and only tolerated their presence in the room because of Gibbs' urgent pleas.

" _Ship_." he pointedly corrected the blonde, "And oh, how I wish that were true. Check the harbor yourselves , ladies. You won't find her there." He frowned and stared broodingly into his mug. Despite Gibbs' promises of a restorative respite in Tortuga, Jack was content to sulk.

"Don't fret, Jack." Scarlett purred while dangling the bottle dangerously in one hand, the other found its way to Jack's thigh, "I can think of several distractions to get your mind off your boat." Her meaning was unmistakable and the devilish smile that played across her lips had many a time worked on Jack.

Jack swallowed back his frustration. _Ship ship ship! My beloved Pearl!_ He wanted to shout at them, but knew it would be wasted breath. These women didn't understand and never would. He watched Scarlett tilt the bottle back and forth carelessly. Impatiently, he reached out with nimble fingers and pulled the bottle from her grip. "Distract someone else, love. I'm not in need of company tonight." he said, holding the bottle with the utmost care.

"Probably doesn't even have a piece of silver to his name." Scarlett growled. Gibbs shrugged noncommittally and downed the rest of his rum. He bent to where the sack of bottled ships lay at his feet and began to rummage about inside.

Giselle, not one to give up so easily on her prey, gathered her saffron-colored skirts and bent at Jack's ear. She tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear and whispered, "It's alright, Jack, you know you're one of my best customers. I'll just add this night to the tab, yes?" If it were any other night, Jack would've appreciated the offer and the pale bosom so close to his face. Unfortunately, he found the only thing he could care about was held in the bottle in his hands. He needed a quiet place to drink and figure out how to get his ship back to real size and nothing was getting accomplished with these wenches around.

"A thousand times good night! Ladies, if you please." said Jack with an authority quite unlike himself.

Giselle straightened her spine and looked down on him with a pout. Giselle quickly hooked her arm through Giselle's and started to pull her away. "Come on, Giselle, Jack's in no mood to play tonight. I'll not waste another moment here feeling unwanted. " She gave Jack one final glare before practically dragging her blonde counterpart from the room.

Jack waved his fingers in goodbye, but didn't look to watch them go. His gaze remained faithfully on his _Pearl_. "We'll get you out somehow." he murmured.

Gibbs' sat up, red in the face with exertion. He'd already lined up several bottled ships on the table. "You didn't have to send them away, Jack. Just because you didn't want their company, doesn't mean--"

"--I couldn't think straight with their incessant chatter, Gibbs. I apologize to deny you the pleasure of a woman's flesh tonight, but I want my bloody ship back. I can't waste any more time fooling around."

The statement sobered Gibbs a bit. With an supportive nod, he returned to the sack of bottles.

Jack remained silent, deep in thought. He had absolutely no idea how to break Blackbeard's magic and free the _Pearl_. All that mention of goats and trumpeting and finger waving was utter twaddle. He couldn't seek counsel from Angelica, not after marooning her rather unfairly on that beach. Blackbeard was dead, his secrets gone with him. Jack sipped at his rum, enjoying the burning sensation as it fell down his throat. Perhaps a little more and he could find his way to blissful sleep. Perhaps the answers would come to him in a fortuitous dream. If only it were that easy.

"Jack." Gibbs' said suddenly, breaking his friend's reverie.

"Gibbs." he replied, finishing his rum.

"Jack. This is...Jack, I....this bodes ill. I don't like. Not one bit."

"Out with it, man!" Jack said, leaning over the table to see what the fuss was about.

"You have to see it to believe it, Jack." Gibbs said, handing him a bottle.

Jack peered at the contents of the bottle and a sudden realization hit him. Not good. Not good at all. "Gibbs, is that?" he asked, still unbelieving.

"Aye."

"But how?"

"Reckon the same as the _Pearl_ , except this time the captain did go down with his ship."

"Bugger. You do know what this means, Gibbs?"

"We have our heading? Shipwreck Cove?"

"Aye. I had hoped I could avoid that devious distressing damsel a bit longer, but after this...I think we have no choice."

"Miss Swann's not all that bad, Jack. Come now."

"She killed me! Just as traitorous as Judas, that woman."

"At least she sent you off with a proper Judas kiss. You can't say you didn't enjoy it, Jack. And remember, she did come back for ye. She sailed to the ends of the earth to bring you back." Gibbs said encouragingly.

A dark look crossed Jack's face. That woman was the bane of his existence. She infuriated and inflamed him more than any other woman he had known. Not even Angelica had the power to both kill him with a kiss and save him from the Locker. And how he'd had to face her once more. As much as he hated the idea, it would also give him a chance to talk to Teague. He was perhaps the one person who might know how to get Jack's _Pearl_ and the others out of their damned bottles.

"Enough of that romantic drivel, Gibbs. I'll hear not another word of it. We need a ship to commandeer and a crew to go with it if we're to make sail for Shipwreck Cove by morning." Jack said, taking the bottle in question along with the _Pearl_.

Gibbs grinned at Jack. Here was the assertive captain he knew and loved. Jack with a mission was always a good thing. They began to clean up their mess, quickly shoving the remaining bottles back into the sack. Gibbs took a moment to drink the dregs of the two girls' leftover drinks before wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. He stood at attention, awaiting Jack's next orders.

Standing still, Jack's eyes studied the contents of the other bottle. _What a mess you've made, Turner. Bloody whelp should have stuck to making swords,_ he thought. Inside the bottle, the _Flying Dutchman_ and its still newly appointed captain bobbed silently. Jack wondered if Will could see him through the glass or if that was a part of the enchantment. Jack wondered if Will could see the perfidious thoughts concerning his new wife in his eyes. He rather hoped not. With that thought, he tucked Will Turner out of sight, but certainly not out of mind.

He gave Gibbs a mournful look. "There'll be no living with her after this."

 

 

 

_tbc_  
_______________________________  
_A thousand times good night!_ \- Jack is quoting Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_. Which came first? Jack Sparrow or Will Shakespeare? Frankly, idk. So don't sue me.


End file.
